The Finest Line
by Onions Make Me Cry
Summary: 1x2,Zx5 With the war's end, a longing for closure touches three souls... all of whom can only find that final answer in the one pilot who has been missing since christmas eve, three years prior.
1. Chapter 1

Author's Note: so this project is a collaborative one... haha, it came from an rpg i liked, and is translated pretty literally, so that may explain for some patchy-ness you get along the way. I'm responsible, personally, for Zechs, and as well as Duo, who shows many FAMILIAR characteristics, if you've ever read anything I've ever done. So basically, i slopped the whole thing together, with a couple of modifications, and, tadaa..! but i think it may be pretty entertaining, so give it a chance.

The story thus far:

The war is over, Zechs has returned to a high office as a Preventer (laughable, i know) and Wufei works under him. Heero is M.I.A. and Duo is left to pine away on L2 the longing of lovers lost, with Hilde whom is his business associate.

watch out for Zechs x Wufei / Treize x Zechs / Treize x Wufei x Zechs

as well as Duo x Heero and vice versa

anyway, enjoy... I don't own gundam wing.

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**The Finest Line** by Onions Make Me Cry  
first part...

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Settling himself back in his chair, Zechs twined his fingers together.

As the sun tilted behind the city in the single window of the once-was Count's whitewashed office, and light streamed sweetly through the glass panes, a change came over the pale Preventer's face as he sat quietly behind the desk. For the first time in many months, the commonplace scowl which so often resided on Zechs' lips, and in his eyes, was conspicuously absent. What was he thinking? There was no way of knowing, now that the normal looks of frustration and malcontent had been washed away. Everything that was noble, and well bred, sung sweet melodies to the eyes of any present beholder, and for a minute of silence, Zechs appeared blessedly anger-free. Worrying thoughtfully on his palm with his free thumb, the gentleman sighed, and addressed his guest.

"You and I… are not friends. Are we?"

Wufei kept his expression neutral, bordering on slightly annoyed as he observed the changes in Zechs. _Best not to let them know through physical reactions what you are thinking_, The boy thought resolutely. And the things that whirred in his head would make any normal man dizzy. This was a very new ' light ' for the lightning count, (one that a secret part of Wufei would like very much to see again before it was shoved back into its box) and for the sake of keeping the peace, he remained in silence.

Sitting up a little straighter, Zechs peered intently into Wufei's face. "I'm sure we don't need to go into the trivial details of for what reasons we dislike one another, however, I am about to make a request of you, and I hope that, as one gentleman to another gentleman, we'll be able to put aside our differences for the sake of a common cause." the man paused, if not for the simple dramatic effect of it. He had, after all, received lessons in persuasion to rival all others from the master himself, Treize, and as in his old lover, Zechs harbored a secret love for all things with flair.

"I'd like you to tell me what you know about the whereabouts of Heero Yuy. I'd like to help."

Now Wufei's mask faltered a bit, eyes widening in surprise, jaw agape for the briefest moment. Shock was clear, for a bunch of different reasons, but as usual, it was, moments later, shoved back into its respective box and Wufei remained in control.

He thought about it. True they didn't get along, but Zechs had shown interest, even respect for Heero after the Siberian Incident… the battle in Antarctica. Even the last battle on Libra. He had sacrificed himself to save Heero. Now that Wufei thought about it... he _was _wasting a valuable resource...

and acting like an Ass.

Sighing and leaning forward, pitching his elbows on his knees, knitting his fingers together and holding his head, Wufei sighed again in frustration.

" There isn't much, I'm afraid. Beyond initial sightings in New Port City just before his time in the hospital and a few dead ends in space, the only new information I have that might be of any use is what I got today. My informant never tells me much unless I go and see them. But what I do know is that Heero has been traveling a lot, apparently in places important to the war. He was spotted near New Edwards a few weeks back. There hasn't been any net activity for him. Not that we could really check, the only person who could have a chance against Yuy's security protocols would be Duo... and despite my efforts to keep this bit a secret from him, and the others, I may need his help after all."

The 'Others' didn't need much explanation. His small social group…(no, his family,) consisted of the other pilots, and Sally. He looked up at Zechs, resting his chin on his clasped hands.

"Care to go with me for some coffee and some information?"

Zechs quirked a golden eyebrow, just the slightest bit surprised.

"Coffee." the man parroted, peering intently now into Wufei's face. What was the boy's motivation? It was difficult to tell. "And… information."

The thickness of the silence was palpable. It rang quietly for a good few moments as the two stared at each other, before, at last, Zechs folded his arms across his chest and leaned a little farther back, causing his chair to squeak irksomely.

"…Yes, of course." The prince at last managed, shaking his blonde head. What had he been thinking? How could he refuse? Not when his subordinate was obviously (though unexpectedly) offering an olive branch of friendship.

Friendship. Them? Friends... together.

Comrades. Companions even.

Where did the joy of the kill go? Where was the biting sarcasm? Or the backhanded power maneuvers? Could it possibly be that he, Zechs Marquise, and Chang Wufei had just conducted a civil conversation? And with each other?

And of course, there was the additional mystery surrounding the manner of delivery of the invitation. Something about the slightly relaxed posture of the boy sitting opposite him, and something in the spontaneous delivery of the line had caused Zechs to proverbially narrow his eyes in suspicion. Suspicion of a coffee date having nothing to do at all with Heero Yuy.

What a strange world this new peace was turning out to be.

"Out of all of you," Zechs announced suddenly, sounding a little dry. "all five of you boys, you were the one who always confused me the most." fragmenting their conversation again with silence, the blonde Preventer began to wear on his thumb as he stared. "I'm not a team player, Chang. I won't lie. I don't have any relationship with Maxwell, but I'll see what I can do about contacting him, if you feel strongly enough about the maneuver. Despite our formal discordances, I will assist you in any way that I can."

_ /Including trying to keep my tongue in check. /_

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_(tbc in chapter 1)_

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_Author's Note: a little tension between wuffy and Zechs now that Treize is pushing up daisies, huh? waha!


	2. The Call

Author's Note: Compilation work... but still totally fun ... and i still don't own Gundam.

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**The Finest Line** by Onions Make Me Cry  
first chapter... The Call

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The cool night wind sang a low hollow song as it whistled past Duo's cracked window. All was dark and quiet outside, except for the distant sounds of the city--a dull emanation from a few miles north.

Crouched in the corner of his room where his mattress sprawled plainly on the floor, the ex pilot could hear Hilde dreaming in the next room over. She was tossing in her bed again, Duo could tell. The springs were loud enough to hear through the walls. He himself had never been so wide awake, and as he listened to his friend's nightmare, he  
briefly envied her ability to go under at all. Since the end of the war, the young pilot hadn't been able to sleep.

/_They'd laugh at me_./ Duo thought dryly of his friends as he worried on his fist with his other hand. When he'd been with the Gundam pilots, he'd been infamous for being able to sleep through anything-- including the occasional battle. It had been a divine escape. Sleep was the ultimate coping mechanism. If he didn't dream, how could sleep be differentiated from death? Time had no meaning in that place, nor did temperature or distance. It was a blissful fall out of all reality, for however many hours Duo could snatch. And sometimes, when he would wake up, Heero would be there to soothe away the ache of coming back. It was in those moments that a little peace would come to the boy, if not for a few fleeting minutes.

Duo thumped his head back against the wall, and the hollow thud roused Hilde enough to stop her flopping, though she continued to sleep on. He sighed, and ran a hand over his forehead. How had the change come? How many nights had passed in this fashion? Just like this one? Dozens by now, no doubt about it. The boy wasn't entirely sleepless, but insomnia had caught hold of his body, and seemed to be wreaking a kind of cruel revenge for being ignored for the previous years of his life. Now at 17, Duo was witnessing the first tastes of what his post-war life had done to him, and what it would continue to  
do until he died.

Sitting on the floor at the far end of his room, Duo's laptop flashed awake, spilling it's eerie milk white light across the walls. The boy flinched at the invasion of the dark, shoulders stiffening a little, and he spent a few seconds blinking back the glare. The red tab of an  
incoming message stood plainly out against the background of the screen. Grumpily, Duo pulled himself out of his blankets and clambered, animal-like, across the floor until he sat crouching in front of his target.

"What the fuck do you want?" He grumbled at the machine, fingers working at the keys. Blearily he scratched his scalp with one hand, and hit ENTER with his right.

/INCOMING: Trace H. Yuy identified in E.S. sector 15-C Continue/

Duo stared at the flashing prompt, and a cold sweat broke over his body.

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Heero Yuy stared at the small screen illuminating his current quarters. Fingers danced over the keys as he tracked and traced. The tripped flags had been inner layer ones, so the one tracking him was good, but not good enough. Yuy had noticed and gone about tracing the tracks, then had gone out of his way to be seen. Yet no further move had been made by his opponent, had he been bluffing?

As he sat in the near darkness, the Japanese weighed his options:

Go back into total hiding, (so they had found this location, he had other places, other names.)

Eliminate the opposition.

Confront his target; the clues added up to Masters touch.

Call in a favor… no, not an option after all.

It took only a moment before Wings pilot closed the laptop, stood, and headed for the door. Time to raise the stakes.

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"Maybe he's done it unwittingly, but the final result is the same, regardless of the process."

Zechs leaned back on his bar stool, shaking his hair away from his face, and letting a tendril of cigarette smoke waft quietly up into the air from his fingers still clutching the bar. (Wufei sat opposite of him, with an expression of mild disgust as he eyed the smoke.)

"Now the lines of devotion will be blurred, and a decision towards our purposes will be more easily induced, if Maxwell decides to aide our cause…" the count continued. "If a decision can be attained at all."

Wufei shook his head, taking a sip of his soda and grimacing at the leftover aroma of smoke. "You… are making an assumption based on _insubstantial _evidence. Maxwell and Yuy were friends, first and foremost. As far as I know, their feelings for each other, be they  
existent or not, only went as far as a quiet infatuation. I know Maxwell still harbors feelings for Yuy, but I just don't know if he intends to do anything about it."

Saying that hurt a little, that small part of him that always harbored emotion towards the self proclaimed deity. But it was no matter, such things as love were not meant for mortals as he. He mentally swatted at the melancholy poet in his head, and continued his train of thought.

Deftly Wufei reached over and took his mini comp from his bag, looking up a phone number with one hand, while at once snagging the lit cigarette from Zech. "These things will kill you." He murmured as he pulled out his cell and dialed an ill used number, while at once smashing the offending drug into the surface of the bar. "Wonder what time it is on L2?"

Zechs faltered as Wufei snatched his cigarette away, eyes following the motion. Slightly incredulous, he stared at the younger man for a few seconds, before allowing a baffled grin to slip past him. Nobody had ever had the bravery to do such a thing… Nobody, that is, but Treize. However, Treize had been a _very _special exception, and the count was forced into a difficult position of consideration. How could he react to such a thing? Their grounds of relationship were still freshly claimed, after all. Friendship, and so on.

"You are. You are exactly like Treize." The prince at last concluded. "You've got iron balls, is what it must be." The smile which capped off the comment was one of half-amused compliance, and the count leaned back again, entertained by watching. Shortly after, though, he lit another cigarette, but this time held it away from where his Chinese subordinate could snatch it.

"It must be late on L-2. You'll probably be waking Duo up."

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On the distant colony, a ring shot through the silence.

Jerking eyes away from the white screen which was threatening to blind him, Duo stared into the blackness of his surrounding room. One ring passed, and then two, and then three, before the sweating pilot at last found the strength in his limbs to lift his fingers from the keys of his laptop.

Heero had been found. Heero was found. He was discovered. His location, all the information needed, was contained here. If he acted quickly, he could apply a manual follow-up trace and cut Heero off at his next turn. Duo had the skills, he knew Heero's style, his patterns, his attention to specific details. He knew Heero as a person, knew his habits. Personally Heero. His Heero, who was now found. Heero who was lost. Heero.

"uggh… Duo!" Hilde shouted groggily through the wall, and a thud moments later signaled his friend's shoe colliding with the opposite wall. "Get the phone!"

Acting as if a mechanical doll, Duo at last rose from his crouch, and walked stiffly across the room to the loose telephone. A trembling had taken hold of him now, and it was with dinosaurs lumbering circles through his intestines did the braided boy finally manage to pick up the receiver.

Heero was found. He could find Heero. Did Heero want to be discovered? Did he want to discover Heero? What would he do? What would either of them do? Would they really have anything to say to each other at all? To say all the things he'd been thinking…

"Hello?"

"Good morning Duo. It's Wufei." The Chinese boy said as pleasantly as possible across the line, yet still sounding like himself. "I apologize for the late call, but I'd like to ask you… if you would like to meet me in San Francisco in say…12 or so hours? Sooner, if possible. Maybe meet up with Heero too."

Never let it be said that Chang Wufei was not to the point when he needed to be. As he spoke he played with the cigarette he stole from Zechs, twirling it between his fingers, fumbling at first with the short object but soon finding a rhythm. He waited patiently for  
Duo's reply, which by the sound of the bit of fear in his voice with a simple hello, might be a bit.

Falling onto the floor was an easy reaction for Duo, though returning to the sitting position was a motion that did jar his teeth a little. He'd been crouching after all, and a simple totter in the backwards direction was all that was needed to find him on his bottom again. With Wufei's words ringing in his ears, he tried to calm himself into being able to process the information he'd been presented with.

Swallowing, Duo licked his lips and opened his mouth.

"Uhh.."

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Zechs watched with satisfaction as Wufei lowered his telephone from his ear.

"He'll do it, then?" The prince asked, though from the sedated look on his counterpart's face, the answer was plain. "Somehow, I'm not surprised. Yuy tends to wreak that kind of effect on people. He breeds a kind of… mmm…" pausing, Zechs contemplated Heero,  
and sucked on the end of his cigarette. "A kind of irrationality. Humorously ironic, really. Considering the kind of strictness 01 conducts himself with."

"Yuy inspires different things in different people. Just as you and I are different, so then is the impact Yuy has on Maxwell verses myself." Wufei shot the smiling prince a dry look. "It isn't irrationality… it seems to be just more…respect…awe…admiration? In an odd sense. For some maybe more than just that. But that isn't me." Wufei said, getting up from his seat and tossing the approximate amount of credits to cover both his meal and Zechs' drink on the counter.

Watching Wufei, the count took a moment to quirk an eyebrow. "Something about Maxwell bothers you? You're… quite stiff."

But Wufei's back was already casting a shadow across the Count as the boy headed for the door, and the reply way brief. "Nothing of your concern."

Hesitating for only a moment, Zechs stood at last, and followed the pilot out of the bar with a contemplative look.

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Author's note: wow, are there really 16 people on my author's alert list? I had no idea sixteen people even knew i wrote this shit... 


	3. The Arrival

**Author's Note**: Yes, so many writers mashed together! Ah-haha, it makes me crazy sometimes! Why Can't I blend us all seamlessly together like I want? Aaa-hahaha… (I'm going crazy!)

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**The Finest Line…** by Onions Make Me Cry 

_Second Chapter… The Arrival_

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Chang Wufei sat in the crowded terminal at San Francisco International Airport, dressed in loose fitting black slacks and a dark blue t-shirt, his jacket, also black, tossed over the back of the chair he was sitting in. It hadn't been too hard to get some time off from Une… not that he had given her much of a choice in the matter. Simply waltzing in, saying 'I'm taking some time off with Zechs I'll be back in a week or so otherwise I will call you, not the other way around' and walking back out the door did limit the conversation… oh there would be water cooler hell to pay when he got back, but it kept things interesting. Or at least kept the normal people from getting bored and asking why a 17 year old kid was a top agent.

He was waiting outside the arrival gate for the shuttle Duo was supposed to be arriving in shortly. He had lost track of Zechs about 20 minutes ago, though not that he had minded much. The curious sidelong glances on the flight over had been torture enough, let alone questions he preferred not to answer running around in his head.

The two of them had already arrived, set up their room in a near by hotel and dropped their luggage off in time to go back to the air port and pick up Duo. After that…well he hadn't planned that far ahead just yet. But he'd get there eventually. They needed to find Yuy, and he was expecting an update from Flynn any time now. Then, after ending his annoying game of cat and mouse, he would make sure whatever baggage Duo had with Heero was dealt with before bringing up his reasons for needing to find the former Wing Zero pilot.

In the back of his mind, his inner self was telling him time was growing short. Bad omens abounded if he paid attention to them, both noticeable in his own work as well as in his meditations. The world was falling out of balance.

"Three beats make up this world…the beats of revolution, peace and war…revolution was thwarted and peace restored…so when does the last piece begin to play"…Treize would know, he mused. The general always knew that dance better then he. "What will it cost me this time?"

"three dollars and five cents."

A sudden icy burn seared across the side of Wufei's neck as Zechs shoved a cold soda into him, from his position behind the youth's seat. Not waiting for the boy's squirming to stop, the prince swooped around to the other side, and sat next to Wufei. He himself had purchased a beer, and popped the cap from the bottle with the palm of his hand.

The shout that rose from Wufei startled another few patrons of the airport near him and the glare directed towards Zechs immediately after had a few of them counting their lucky stars they weren't the blond man.

"For the drink, of course." Zechs continued at last, sounding formal. "I don't listen to children's mutterings. I also still stand by what I said about you sounding like Treize."

Island waiting areas were always embarrassingly meager. The thought came as Zechs felt a cramp creeping up along his spine. Nothing separated one from the floor here but a decidedly painful panel of dipped wooden curves. The idea of cushions had been abandoned long ago, by the atmosphere here, and with sudden a look of distaste the blonde cast a wary eye into the surrounding crowd. People on Earth had so little class now that they were convinced death wasn't imminent.

"Bah to you!" Wufei growled though a shudder, one hand pulling the cold bottle from his lap before it hurt something while the other tried to warm the now frozen spot on his sensitive neck back up. "And I do not sound like him…occasionally lapse into thinking about him and what few conversations we ever had be they brief and untimely in some occasions as they were, and when that happens I sometimes sound like him…not all the time Zechs."

"How close until arrival?" inquired the count, his unpleasant expression still lingering on for a few minutes, ignoring whatever it was Wufei had been justifying moments before. Absently, he rolled the beer cap in circles across his palm.

Though doubtless Maxwell would be a great asset in the hunt for Heero, Zechs had never been particularly fond of the ex-urchin. In fact, in the few instances the two had ever come in contact with each other, he'd received the distinct impression that 02 hated him. The image of Heero Yuy sprang to mind, and the count could guess why he was hated so thoroughly. Though an interesting phenomenon to consider, the mistrust which ran between them could potentially turn future plans sour, and for that, Zechs would have difficulty forgiving himself. The thought nagged at the prince, and he gave a little sigh.

Wufei popped the cap of his soda… not with the suaveness of Zechs, but than again he wasn't known to always be the 'cool guy'.

"Twenty minutes or so." He replied, taking a sip as he heard the prince sigh, his expression dower. "Don't tell me you're stressed over seeing them again?"

If he thought about it, Zechs had every right to be a bit stressed over the situation. Between their last experiences together in the Marimaia Rebellion, the end of Libra… hell even Siberia, Zechs had plenty to feel nervous about.

"Don't stress yourself out too much Zechs. Things in the past are exactly that, in the past and nothing can be done about them. But look, let it gather dust and move forward." Wufei said, taking a long sip of his soda afterwards and snatching the bottle cap worrying a red ring in Zechs' hand away, bending it between two fingers and flicking it into a nearby garbage can. A moment later he snatched the beer bottle all together, switching it with his soda.

"I like juice better, detest the carbonation." He smirked at the look crossing Zechs' face as he got up and put the beer in the recycling bin. "You should also take better care of yourself. You'll get a gut before we know it."

Wufei didn't much fear Zechs' retaliation as he feared not having backup for when Duo showed up…or even Heero, should he chose to ever show himself at all.

And then, there was also this little, tiny part of him that worried about Zechs. It was a small part of him, true, but a part that he feared was getting bigger...

"I'm not stressing myself." Zechs idled, eyes following Wufei now with a bit of a predatory edge. As the Chinese boy continued to talk, the prince's look intensified. Mingled incredulity and allure, together, seeped from the man's expression as his gaze followed Wufei back and forth, wolf-like in his attention.

The way the boy handled everything so carelessly… the count continued, even now, to be mentally taken aback. It was in the casual motions of a normal conversation that Wufei would usurp the control, and play it to his advantage. (It was a strategy Treize had used frequently, and one Zechs had found quite infatuating.) As they grew to know each other, and continued to spend time with one another, the Asian boy's easy sieges were becoming more and more frequent, and even now, Zechs was continuing to battle the delicate line between irritation and allure. Both seemed plausible-- But upon coming to the conclusion that there was no conclusion, the prince simply resorted to staring. It was easier, and sometimes Zechs found that it made Wufei uncomfortable, which was a reaction amusing enough to trigger simply for the fun of it.

"You're adorable when you fawn like that."

The wolf's gaze cracked into the flashing white of an experienced, darkly teasing grin.

Wufei stopped just in front of Zechs, the trip back to his seat from the recycling bin, aborted by the comment. Despite the bit of outrage boiling in his belly, his face flourished into a blush. Thankfully it wasn't that terribly noticeable with his dark skin tone.

"I am not fawning…nor am I adorable. People say that to children, fluffy animals, and Quatre. Not me." He added to his little tirade by holding out a finger for each thing he listed, managing to look indignant. "People have called me a prick, stuck up aristocrat, aggressive manic depressive, aloof and a stick in the mud but never EVER adorable or any other word associated with it."

He was annoyed now, not totally at Zechs, but more at himself, since the simplest things could be said or done to him by this man and he would totally lose his composure. Simply being near the man either made him lament over the past or go off on some sort of righteous rant. Now he was making him blush and act like… well…like a teenager nervous around someone he liked…

And that was impossible…he had no time for such things. There was duty to do, a mission to finish and people to protect.

Now was not the time to throw a fit in a crowded space port. But, boy did he want to.

Wufei's eruption was more than enough fuel to supply the count with a genuine smile of amusement… one that was glowing now, openly in the man's face. Leaning back, he lazily crossed his legs and laid an arm out across the backs of the chairs to his right. At this point, Zechs could think of very few things that could get under the boy's skin quite like a carefully placed inappropriate comment. Obviously, they were a novelty that went generally un-dealt with in a world filled with constant thoughts of unrest. The poignant tinge of Wufei's cheeks suggested so, anyway.

"But you are a child." Zechs replied, still half caught up in his chuckling. "How old are you? Seventeen? Eighteen? I'm not questioning your seasoned battle experience-- just making observations, really."

The amusement died out slowly as the crowd surged around them. A thousand nameless faces came and went while they two remained, and again the impulse to stare took the prince over… though this time a hint of thoughtfulness touched his eyes as he watched the stiff-figured pilot.

"I suppose I don't mind anymore." He murmured at last, searching for something unspecific with his eyes. "That you're so young."

Silence enveloped them.

"Uhh... Yo, 'fei, I'm just gonna come back later, alright?"

The staring contest cracked as Zechs flickered his gaze across Wufei's figure and beyond. Duo Maxwell stood on the threshold of the waiting area, duffle bag over his shoulder. Even from this distance, and beyond the fact that the boy was wearing an entirely black (and more than a little frumpy) outfit, the expression on his face was enough to tell the prince it was time to quit. Skepticism and suspicion gouged dark lines in the pale youth's features, adding an element of frazzle to an already hassled looking figure. Had 02 been ill? Besides all that, the way that the braided youth was looking between he and Wufei was slightly disconcerting.

Whirling around Wufei turned to see Duo, looking a little out of sorts. He hadn't seen him since Christmas, and a tiny part of his heart fluttered at seeing his one time crush, though he quickly stamped it down. Duo was here for Heero not him.

"Duo! Hello!" the Chinese boy greeted his friend.

" Maxwell." behind Wufei, the older Preventer sent a greeting.

Zechs sighed inwardly, returning to the formality of office and rising to his feet. "You're early." the words could have been tainted with sarcasm, if they hadn't been so forcefully bland.

"Yeah, well… I decided to come a little early, you know?" a wran smile briefly touched the corner of Duo's mouth as he looked the count up and down. "Got connections and all that jazz. I get around a lot."

Zechs arched an eyebrow. Or was he twitching? "So I hear."

The long moment dragged on.

Rather then let the silence continue, Wufei walked over and gave Duo a hug… very un-Wufei, but he was being that as of late.

"Don't mind him." Wufei said nodding his head towards Zechs. "I'm glad you made it here so quickly, Duo. It's been a while…" he added with a small smile. Deftly he took the duffel from his friend, to lessen his burden. "Do you have anything else that we have to grab? I was thinking that we should go back to the hotel and talk, give you a chance to rest a bit it had to be a long flight from L2."

It was good to be near one of the others again, even under the circumstances. He only hoped that everything went more or less well between Duo and Heero, between himself and Heero, and overall everyone with Zechs… especially if this little tension was how the lightning count would be met by everyone in the coming days.

At Wufei's unreserved embrace, Duo felt himself relax, falling into the drag of exhaustion. The trip itself hadn't been a physically taxing one, but, then again, he had been sleeping very little—not to mention the stress of the entire situation was enough to grate at anybody's defenses. With a grateful arm, Duo pulled the other young man close, glad for the contact of an old friend.

Zechs stood silently aside, allowing the greeting to unfold in peace. Folding strong arms across his broad chest, the prince settled on looking slightly surlier than average. Of course Wufei should greet 02 in this fashion. They were war companions, weren't they? Practically surrogate families of one another. And yet, an unpleasant tingling insisted on tickling the insides of his stomach as he watched Maxwell wrap weary arms around his young business partner. A tingling which increased tenfold as he observed the braided pilot lay a kiss on Wufei's forehead as they broke apart. The friendly shoulder slapping which also followed did nothing to abate the ruminating jealousy either. Jaw tightening, the lightning count narrowed his eyes.

"Man, it's good to see you." Duo sighed at Wufei, smile mingled with weariness. "Though I always forget just how fucking HOT it gets here... heh. It's like a god damn sauna inside this shit."

"Always so eloquent." Wufei commented with a little smirk, the same smirk he always wore during the war, that annoying little amused one. It seemed to suit the occasion. Wufei scratched the back of his neck as Duo complained, feeling like he was being watched. He glanced back at Zechs for a moment, then back at Duo. No one in the area seemed to be paying them too much attention. Where was that coming from?

Pausing for a second as he collected his thoughts, Duo ripped the black hoodie over his head, preceded by a wave of his scent- gasoline mingled with something earthy, and the sweetness of individual musk. He was sweating, it was true… the white undershirt he wore now did little to cover his shining shoulders, or to hide the mocking birds which curved just barely to the nape of his neck. Maybe he really had been ill—or if not so, soon would be. A strange unhealthiness seemed to dog his features, and a shadow fell under the bags of each of his smiling eyes.

Seeing what seemed to be left of Duo twisted Wufei's gut. Had he not been taking care of himself? When he hugged him he seemed a little more substantial then what he saw before him now, but perhaps that had just been his sweatshirt. This would also warrant tending to.

"Yeah, fantastic." Duo hummed, balling his shirt up into a basketball sized clump that he tucked under his arm. "Let's get going."

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Cobalt eyes flashed electric and the jaw set more firmly. Hacking into the surveillance camera network at the airport had seemed like the easiest way to track his quarry, but this scene displayed on his laptop was not what he had expected. Had he missed something? He had tapped the communications for the others long ago, setting filters to search for key words, but none of the messages he had screened had hinted at affection between 05 and Du…Pilot 02. Training and conditioning be damned, Heero slammed a stiffened hand sideways, cracking the cheap wood instantly. The adrenaline rush helped bring sense back to the perfect soldier, and he quickly closed the laptop, and casually but purposefully strode away as if nothing had happened, leaving splinters as the only evidence of his one time presence.

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_(tbc in part three)_

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**Author's Note**: Hmmm… cranky Heero. Sickly Duo. And… hmmm. an unlikely romance between the prince and the (not quite) crankier pauper? So many lines. So many arcs all mashed up together. The monster mash! 

Ps- thanks to everyone who reviewed so far… your comments inspire me to keep working!


	4. The Ride

Author's Note: Don't own. Didn't write it all. Mixed project. Lots of us. No brain… there is no spoon…. Eeegh. (I hate school)

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**The Finest Line**… by Onions Make Me Cry

_third chapter... the Ride... _

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Wufei took Duo's things, so the former pilot wouldn't have to lug them across the port. "What have you been up to lately?" he queried, hoping that Zechs would follow them back to the car park, "I know you went back to L2."

"Weeeeeell," Duo began, falling in stride with his companion, Zechs trailing some few feet behind like a dark storm cloud. "I've got a sweet little setup with Hilde now, so that's gold. She's really a peach, you know, pretty young thing like her. A girl like that is hard to find! I mean, she's hard working, and loyal, and won't let me pinch funds from other places when we need them." He grinned sheepishly, and the brilliant look reduced the weariness his face had taken on, if only by a little. "But I think she gets lonely sometimes, you know? Like all our scrap work is bullshit, or something."

'She must still love him' Wufei mused, watching Duo's expression change. He was amazed sometimes at his ability to read people through their motions and slight movements. It never worked with the people he cared about but with other people he hardly knew. He knew from the moment he saw Hilde that she had it bad for Duo. 'You ain't the only one sister…' he added to himself sourly.

The light in Duo's expression dimmed a little, though a grin continued to linger on around the corner of his mouth. Balling his sweatshirt up even more tightly, the youth tucked it again, even more securely, under his arm as they continued to walk on. It was practically basic common knowledge to anyone who had ever come within ten feet of Hilde and Duo together that their chemistry was a good one. They thought alike and spoke alike both, which made for a lucrative and easy business partnership. However, sometimes, in the evening when all the work was done for the day and both were settled, a particular glint could be seen dogging Hilde's expressions. Her deep fondness for Duo was an easy thing to see during evenings like these… as was the sadness which tailed such a realization. For Hilde, to be so close to her source of happiness and to not be able to have it, was her greatest, and most poignant sorrow.

"Oh, hey, and I got a tattoo." Duo flashed bright teeth at Wufei, breaking the mood and jerking to his back with his thumb. As they walked shoulder to shoulder, the braided boy twisted a little to give the other a view of the black and white magpies which now adorned his body. Though only partially visible, the craftsmanship and attention to detail was obvious, and knowing the treasure of it, Duo's pride was also easy to see.

"It was so fucking dollar heavy, man…I had to whack like ten guys to be able to get the funds up for this shit."

The ambiguity of the sentence left something to be desired. Duo wasn't particularly well known for abstaining from either sex or violence, and so, such a statement always served an equivocal purpose. It really could have been either. But then again, it could have been neither at all. The braided ex-pilot was also known for his ability to exaggerate-- or, to "spice", according to the interpreter.

"Please don't elaborate…" Wufei groaned a little, "and it's a nice tattoo... I was thinking of getting one myself just haven't made up my mind."

"Yeah, thanks. You could get a magpie too, huh? Then we could be like brothers! But… heh, that might not be your boat. Oh well. Anyway," Duo sighed, rolling his neck a little while keeping his eyes on the side of Wufei's face. "How about you? What've you been up to? Heh.. Getting into a lot of prime shit without me and the guys to keep you back, huh? Yeah, I can tell." A cheesy, mocking grin spread across a face long since used to the comfortable ease of teasing. "And what the hell is up with you and his royal highness back there? Please don't tell me you're fucking him or anything like that… I'd be all jealous and have to kill him. Not that I have a problem with that or anything but, it'd be all messy."

"In your dreams Maxwell…and knowing you it's a dirty one." A grin peeped through Wufei's serious expression. "He's my partner on this particular excursion, but usually he's my boss. I tried getting involved with a superior before and it didn't turn out well."

He paused, doing the 'look up for further info' thing people tend to do when thinking about the past.

"True it was Sally and it was a one time thing…and I was drunk…but that's beside the point." Wufei added with a shake of his head. "I work for the Preventers now, I have an apartment in NYC…I have a fish that one of my co-workers is looking after while I'm here. Still upholding justice as expected and not living the life of wine, men and song. I hardly get out." He finished drolly, opening the door for Duo and Zechs as they headed across the sky way to the car park. "Besides I know you came for someone else, not for me."

Shooting Wufei a suddenly weary, resigned look, Duo began to shake his head. All in all it was a reaction that practically sung I don't want to deal with this right now. Don't talk to me about Heero, I'll hate your guts if you make me do it so save yourself the trouble'. After  
spending hours on the shuttle over, contemplating just that character, conversation anywhere remotely near Heero wasn't exactly welcomed with open arms. It was a hypocritical move on Duo's part, as the entire point of his presence was, after all, Heero, but then again, when had Duo ever been practical in the relationship sense?

"Oh man, don't dig yourself a grave, Wu. Sore subject." Duo chuckled, running a hand over his hair and examining his shadow as the sun cast it out in front of him. "I'm just game for some food. And, I dunno, maybe a bath? And a nap. I'm totally wiped."

"Are you catching a cold?" Zech's monitored, and his easy tone wafted up to the pair from behind. Duo paused briefly, a flicker of mistrust blinking across his face, before answering.

"Yeah…" the braided boy groaned, not bothering to look back. The ground, apparently, was still too interesting. "I guess I must be. Heh, man, Wufei, you're totally gonna laugh at me, but I haven't been able to sleep! Dunno why. Insomnia catching up to me out of spite, I guess."

"Then we'll head back to the hotel as planned, you can catch up on some sleep, get something to nosh on, and use all the hot water in the place. We don't actually have to do much of anything until tomorrow." Wufei replied, mentally making a note to himself that this was going to be MUCH harder then previously perceived. Some part of him wished that Hilde was with him, to berate Duo and check him out. That sick twisting feeling of worry began to knot up in his gut. Part of it mumbled about Duo's visible condition, another part grumbled about how he was going to deal with the whole 'Don't talk to me about Heero' vibe Duo was giving off, and yet another moaning about trying to get Zechs and Duo to not kill eachother…

Where the HELL is Quatre when I need him? Wufei thought as they moved to the car park.

The three men passed down a case of concrete stairs, the sun blazing hotly down their backs as the fiery day began to totter over the noon day point. Skipping the last step, Duo switched topics.

"So….. No Sally, huh?" he glanced at Wufei out of the corner of his eye, as they kept on. "She's fucking hard on, lemmie tell you. Great job. I mean, I think she's totally awesome! Never met a woman quite like her. Rambo Po, you know? Heheh, get it? You should seriously reconsider shacking identities with hers again, because… I mean, come on! Damn! Only one night?" Laughing, Duo punched his friend in the shoulder. "She obviously still wants you. I can tell, and Im not even around. Man, I don't even live on the same planet anymore."

Still trailing behind in silence, the grimace Zechs wore deepened into something like a hateful glare.

Wufei cast a glance back at Zechs after Duo's little rant. _/So… he's not a fan of this conversation either. For different reasons than myself, but I can't be sure of why yet_./ Wufei thought to himself as he fished for the keys. "While Sally has her merits as a woman, she is just that…a woman. Not to degrade the more terrifying half of the species, especially one who is a Doctor, and enjoys causing me pain just to see what I did to myself on a mission but… she isn't my type. More like an annoying older sister."

Turning off the security alarm on the car Wufei popped the trunk, tossing Duo's things inside. It was getting hot and he wished he hadn't chosen to wear black.

"Zechs do you want to drive?" He asked, part of him knowing that it may seem an insult, but the uncomfortable glaring man might be better off in the front of the car, where he might not strangle Duo. He went around and opened the back door for Duo. "After you."

Zechs took the keys wordlessly, and circled the car, listening to Duo mouth off a saucy word of thanks to Wufei before clambering into the back seat. ("Aw man, door to door service! Damn, Wufei, all you need is a Chippendale bowtie and I'd be set for life!") Ignoring the obnoxious voice from behind his head, the count turned the ignition and the car sprung to life.

This was purely a business venture, wasn't it? Zechs settled on a neutral face as he drove. Heero Yuy was the ultimate goal the final detail to answering the questions which buzzed endless circles in the prince's mind. (and often enough in his stomach, and sometimes from there, around his heart.) Distractions like Maxwell were a necessary evil. The boy was a fishing bait not even the great Wing pilot Heero Yuy could turn away. Glancing in the rear view mirror briefly confirmed the prince's suspicions. Even through the rough after-graze of sickness and sleeplessness, a slice of charm was still visible in 02's face. Even now, his lips, lingering on the edge of a smile, were attractively colored, and his long auburn hair fell in pleasant shocks against obviously fair skin. No doubt he would be able to entice anyone he chose into practically anything he wanted, with those luminous violet-blue eyes of his. His mouth may have, on many occasions, (including today) gotten in the way of his physical charm, but Zechs had absolutely not a doubt that inside Maxwell dwelled an intelligent, appraising professional- and that fact on top of everything else, was a reassuring bet indeed. However, just because Maxwell's presence was required, didn't require the count to enjoy it. In fact, the running line of suggestive commentary aimed at Wufei was growing steadily more and more obnoxious, and nothing short of the hand of god would take the irritation from Zechs's attitude if 02 persisted in that unwelcome habit.

Frowning a little through his mask of neutrality, the prince's eyebrows drew together as he mused, monitoring the traffic. Why was he so irritated? Where was this aggression coming from? Was it his original tension with 02? Or was it that he was feeling more than a little… undermined? Chewing on his bottom lip, Zechs tried to relax. What charm could the count draw on that wouldn't be outshined by the glorious Duo Maxwell? And in response to such a thought, when had he become so unconfident in himself? Where was the prideful, blustery prince? This peace time, and Treize's absence, were together beginning to wear on his reaction time. This would be the end of him one day-- this humanization of himself.

"So, Zechs." Duo prompted from the back seat after a few minutes of silence. (The very tone of the jaunt caused Zechs's teeth to go on edge. ) "What's up with YOUR love life? Now that the biggest, baddest, blondest guy in the universe is out of the picture."  
Something slightly aggressive tagged the humor in Duo's tone, and the prince's knuckles whitened around the steering wheel. "You must be pretty lonely, huh?"

"Not lonely, persay." Zechs returned, surprisingly cool. "I could be far worse off. At least my lover didn't abandon me, stock and stone. Treize died. He didn't desert."

A stinging silence rung between the three men as Duo leaned forwards from his position in the back, and settled his elbows on his knees. Surprisingly, a look of defeat crossed his face, instead of anger.

"Touché."

The silence rung on a few seconds more, and the count smiled dryly. "You're the Cyrano, Maxwell, aren't you? Why don't you tell me about my love life?"

Shooting Zechs a disgusted glance, Duo leaned back again, hitting the seat with a huff. He remained silent.

That was a first, in the history of the world, of the universe on top of that, and of Duo Maxwell. The lightning count had seen 02 effectively shut down.

But somehow, seeing Duo's defeated expression brought Zechs very little joy. In fact, one could say, he was almost moved to pity.

Taking in a thick sigh, the youth drove on in silence. This was going to be a frustrating few days.

Wufei listened with half an ear as he checked his messages. Apparently he had missed one of Master's calls, noting the illegal access to the air port's video systems but no luck on tracking down who it was. He had his own theory about who it was, which hopefully meant that Heero was in the area, watching them. /_/Good…get an eye full and come after us...I will welcome whatever you bring.../  
_  
His thoughts though were broken by the little spiteful conversation between Duo and Zechs. Wufei had thought that they wouldn't get along, but if this went on nothing would get done and he would need more time off to deal with the stress. Or end up killing them and thus screwing himself over all the more. He waited a moment, closing his phone and putting it away, watching Zechs stare ahead, and Duo pout in the back seat, before speaking.

"Are you boys done posturing now?" he said drolly, "I understand that neither of you probably like one another and will try to undermine, annoy, piss off and in general frustrate one another to no end, but I for one will not put up with that shit, got me?"

He leveled a glare at Zechs first,

"_You _volunteered to come with me, and to help me, and putting Duo into a funk will not help in the slightest. If this is how you intend to spend the rest of the mission, trying to get someone's goat, or prove you're stronger than someone else, then you can just drop us off and go the hell home. _I _am the one you usually posture with, and that's fine by me, but Duo doesn't need that crap. You'll just make me jealous. I also believe that I am more or less in charge of this pseudo-mission, not you. "

That said he turned to Duo, an equally cold glare that would have been better intimidating had he had his glasses,

"I also don't need you prodding Zechs into positions that will make him want to joust verbally with you. You came because you wanted to find Heero, and hopefully see me even for a bit, can I assume that much? Distracting Zechs with unnecessary hate and resentment won't help worth shit. I also don't have the patience to deal with your usual tirades, teasing is fine, I actually missed it sometimes, but do anything to get in the way of this operation and I will bring it down. So, I'm asking you, as a friend, to just chill… and deal with the fact that Zechs is here, or YOU can get your damn skinny ass back on that damn shuttle and I'll let you know what happened."

Wufei heaved a sigh, tucking some of the hair falling out of his ponytail back behind his ear.

"So here is the ultimatum gentlemen… suck up your pride and, whatever issues you have with each other, work to be productive in finding Yuy and dealing with him however you perceive is necessary or choke on your god damned pride and die. I am not Quatre. Do not expect me to give you tea and ask you to talk this over, or work to try and make compromises, because as much harder as it would be, I am quite fine with doing this all on my own. I never got in arguments with myself over trivial shit. You both don't need the stress and I won't put up with two professionals getting into a constant pissing contest. Do we have an understanding?"

He may not be as eloquent as Quatre, and his particular choice of words were rather harsh, but there was a lot to do, a lot that would take time he felt they didn't have, and it would be best just to get this said and done and out of the way before the shit hit the fan and they were all screwed.

"When we get back to the hotel, Duo, go get some rest and feel free to call room service for something to eat. Zechs, log onto my laptop and something from Masters should be waiting for you there. Hopefully some more information on where our target is. I'm going to go down to the gift shop and get a map and some aspirin, because I _know _I am going to need it."

He then waited for someone to reply, ready to defend his position on the whole thing.

The pregnant silence which preceded Wufei's tirade lasted several long moments. Looking slightly guilty, the lightning count clenched and unclenched his fingers around the steering wheel a few times, though his eyes remained on the road.

Moments passed, and were witness to a dumbfounded looking Duo, staring at the back of Wufei's head. The initial shock, however, once worn down by time, was done away with completely a few seconds later. The braided boy exploded into laughter.

"Maxwell, come on." Zechs scolded over Duo's ringing mirth, with a hint of guilt still lingering in his voice. "He's right. I apologize. But for Christ's sake, stop laughing! This is serious."

"hahah, no way man-- that was way too precious! Wufei as Quatre!" Duo doubled over, giggling mercilessly. "pissing contest! Ah- hahahaha!"

Rolling his eyes, Zechs shot the weary looking Wufei a dubious glance before returning to the road.

_/Thank you, Wufei. Thank you for associating with psychopathic ex-convict street wash-ups like Duo Maxwell. Maxwell may be brilliant, but he's totally and completely undesirable_./ Zechs thought to himself, bitterly. /_Who could work with him? We're going to die in our sleep tonight, aren't we/  
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Laughter tottering off from the back seat, Duo wiped away a few tears of mirth.

"I'm glad I amuse you, Duo." Wufei said, staring out the window.

A reply, heavy with mirth, from the back seat. "Aw man, it's so good to see you, Wu."

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(tbc)

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Author's note: Cranky everybody! A hot car in the summer full of people who supposedly hate each other must be terribly un-fun. But as a side note… who likes the saucy Duo? Saucier, or more sarcastic? 


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